1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus and a method for measuring one or more properties, especially related to floc strength, of a slurry.
2. Discussion of Prior Art
The lack of appropriate on-line and in-situ instrumentation for monitoring the size distribution of particulate matter in concentrated particulate (e.g. mineral) slurries has been a long standing and limiting constraint in the modelling and control of processing plants. Numerous on-line sizing instruments are available from commercial suppliers but, with few exceptions, these require sampling and/or dilution of the slurry prior to analysis. Such instruments utilise a variety of individual or hybrid sensing principles including ultrasonics, laser-diffraction, x-ray absorption and electrical properties. Alternative approaches have been suggested, such as centrifugal differentiation of particles according to their size in a spiral tube and detection of the resulting solids concentration variation across the tube using penetrating radiation. However, in all of these known categories of instrumentation the particulates are analysed in an environment that bears little resemblance to that encountered within the process stream or vessel to be used in a practical working system. Indeed, the solids concentration and the shear conditions often differ by several orders of magnitude, Consequently, the interpretation of results derived from such measuring devices has to be undertaken with some care, especially if the particulates are fine (&lt;50 .mu.m) and prone to aggregation.